


Ghostlines

by Asa_Meda



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Horror, M/M, Slash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-21
Updated: 2017-03-31
Packaged: 2018-10-08 21:41:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10396758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asa_Meda/pseuds/Asa_Meda
Summary: They came from out of the rain, taking one's breath away... but what of the legacy when something unexpected happens?This story was written in June of 2008, just before life went to hell in a hand basket.  I thought "Out of the Rain" was one of the best Torchwood episodes.  And for me there was just so much left in plot holes if one chose to see them.  I had a thought... and this is what happened.  I know Torchwood is old now but I hope some like this.  I am going to try to finish this... need to watch episode again.Opinions welcome if ya have them.  Thank you!!!





	1. Chapter 1

_March 1911 - Cardiff Isolation Hospital, Barrier Island_

_Jenny Davies-Roberts looked dead. But Sean Roberts could feel her pulse beneath his fingers. She did not breathe. She did not move. She did not speak. Yet he could feel her pulse, strong and steady. He could feel her life, suspended..._

_"No, Emily. This is not how it's going to be done!"_

_Hours ago they had been brought here, by boat, separated from the rest of the family. It had been a lark, something for he and his father-in-law to enjoy then they could all go home after a fine dinner and a walk. It had started raining unexpectedly, forcing them to pause under a tree then it ended suddenly and just ahead an encampment of carnival people seemed to appear out of thin air along with an odd man who offered them a ticket._

_Side Show. Freaks. He and Alfred were curious. Of course his wife couldn't see it, not in her condition. And Lily, his mother-in-law, stayed with her. Jenny was so very close._

_"Don't you dare try and challenge me, Jack! I am the leader in Cardiff and this is my decision!"_

_Sean half listened to the raised voices. Not the first time since they had been brought here. His attention was on his wife, on the hand he held... skin so dry. His eyes wandered to her middle, to the great bulge there. He had seen movement. A man who called himself a doctor had said he heard a heartbeat, his child's heartbeat. But nothing more was known. Yet Sean sensed the life there, prayed-_

_"Sean."_

_Male voice. American, or so he assumed. Jack. His only ally here so far. He turned up his eyes towards him. Bright blue eyes, Sean thought. Tall, strong man like some Americans tended to be. Sean swallowed. "What's happening?" he asked... again... for the fifth time since this nightmare began. He was going to wake up any moment, his wife sleeping by his side. This couldn't be real._

_Jack gave him a small, tight smile as he sat down in an empty chair next to him. "Your wife... there's nothing we can do for her."_

_"No!" For the first time Sean heard certainty instead of possibility. "Please!"_

_Jack's hand gripped his shoulder, granted an odd comfort. "We can't revive her but we can try and save your child."_

_Child. Sean's gaze swept back to his wife, fell upon the swelling of her advanced pregnancy. Her eighth month, perhaps five weeks. Early. Very early. "Do you think... I've seen the baby move... felt it... do you think..."_

_"I don't think she's been harmed," Jack told him positively. "But I think we should try to save her. Then we'll know for sure." His large hand seemed to caress as drew back. "But if we do it, your wife won't make it. If we don't both of them won't-"_

_"Do it!" Sean closed his eyes. It was too much. He loved Jenny Davies with all of his being. She was good and kind and-_

_"Come with me," Jack commanded, his hand now on Sean's wrist, ready to pull him away. "It's not going to be something you want to see."_

_"No!" Sean glared at him then turned his attention to the auburn haired woman... Emily... who returned his gaze without much consolation or involvement. "You'll not take her last moments away from me! I want to be the first to see my child!"_

_Emily studied him then her eyes met Jack's. "You will keep him restrained. We don't know what might happen."_

_An audible sigh escaped Jack. His grip shifted from Sean's wrist to his arm, not uncomfortable or imprisoning but Sean somehow knew at a moment's notice it could all change._

_It was as warned. With little warning or explanation the strange doctor returned, exposed his wife's abdomen then, only with some little care, cut open her womb with a scalpel. Blood poured in a great gush, splashing his clothes. The smell of iron and bile and excrement filled the air. His wife's hand contracted once against his then stilled as the pulse he had felt all along faded to nothing. She was truly gone._

_Then a great wail filled the air. Strong. Needful. Anguished. Sean felt Jack's hand contract on his arm to draw his attention. The doctor was in the midst of cutting the cord as his daughter continued to cry in protest to new life. Daughter. He turned to Jack. "How did you know it was a girl?" he ask as he remembered the pronoun Jack had used._

_Jack smiled gently. "A gift." His gaze returned to the doctor who was now holding the infant, examining carefully. "So?"_

_"Appears normal," the man stated, his tone holding more emotion than Sean had heard before. "Small, perhaps a little over four weeks pre-mature but as she's a girl, her lungs should be all right." His lips turned upward. "In fact, if her cries are any indication, I think she should live."_

_"Let me have her!" Sean demanded. He tried to stand but Jack's grip on his arm tightened, another hand pressed on his thigh. "She's my daughter!"_

_"She is under my authority, Mr. Roberts," Emily told him coolly. "As you are."_

_Yes. He had been told this on the boat, when he first began to protest. They wouldn't say who they were or what was going on but the police seemed to think they had the authority to do as he pleased. Barrier Island. They were on Barrier Island at Cardiff Isolation Hospital. Those sick from foreign diseases were brought here. He met her gaze. "You're exposing my daughter to the sicknesses here! I demand you at least protect her and get her away from here!"_

_"She's safe, Sean," Jack assured him. "This room was scrubbed down before we got here. I promise she's safe from disease."_

_His daughter's cries slowed as she was wrapped in a blanket. The doctor took great care in contrast to his cold behavior before. "I want my daughter!"_

_"You will remain calm, sir!" Emily ordered as she moved closer to the doctor and the infant. "Or you will be removed!"_

_Fear struck at him and he stilled. Beside him Jack's hold on him softened but remained. Before him his wife's bloodied body simply lay, now virtually ignored. Forcing the tears back from his eyes Sean took the hand he held and lay it on Jenny's breast. He would do the same with her other hand but then he would have to get up and he knew it wouldn't be allowed._

_"She appears quite human," Emily observed. "Still we'll have to check-"_

_"Give him the child."_

_The woman expression hardened as she stared at the man named Jack. "I'm not going to argue with you again..."_

_"Give. Him. The. Baby."_

_There was a threat. Sean tried to remain still and quiet as the tension between these two people erupted once more. His daughter... Jenny's daughter... began to grunt and wail._

_"Take care, Captain," the woman said severely as she took the baby from the doctor. Sean closed his eyes, unwilling to see what might happen. Beside him Jack moved up and away. A moment later Sean's heart leapt as his daughter's cries suddenly stopped._

_"Here."_

_Sean's eyes snapped open. His head jerked up. The man, Jack, was bending near him, a bundle cradled in his hands. He looked. His daughter's face peeked out from the blanket, pink and healthy. Her eyes rested on him, wide with observation. Sean looked at the man, unsure._

_"Take your daughter," Jack said quietly. He held out the baby who seemed quite content to lie in his hands._

_Sean glanced one last time at the bloodied remains of his wife then carefully took his child from the strange man. It had been awhile since he had held an infant... his sister's son a few years ago. But his hands moved and supported. His daughter grunted again but did not cry. //She's beautiful,// he thought as he stared at her._

_"Sean."_

_Jack's voice penetrated. "What about Jenny?" he wondered aloud._

_The American's face lost all expression. His blue eyes shifted up... he assumed to the stern woman. "She has to stay. You and your daughter have to go," he told him calmly._

_But... Sean held his child close. Jenny was dead now. She deserved a decent burial with friends and family. Jack was beside him now, almost forcing him to stand but careful of the bundle he held._

_"We'll take care of her. I promise we'll take care of her." Jack guided him forward towards the door. "Come on. You and your daughter have to go."_

_Suddenly they were leaving. Jack was forcing him to go, to leave his loving wife behind. But Sean realized this man could do no more. Whoever they were, they seemed to have the right to do anything they wanted and this Jack had chosen to defy them. There was a danger he understood as they moved into the hallway, followed by someone he understood was some kind of guard. The woman, their apparent leader, might change her mind._

_They walked a few minutes down silent hallways then to an entranceway leading out of hospital itself and onto a rocky, wind-swept beach. Sean glimpsed a small boat waiting. They moved a step or two out then Jack suddenly opened something wrapped around his wrist and pushed a button. The door they had just come through slammed in the guard's face. Then Jack turned to Sean, his expression determined but anxious. "It's going to take a minute for him to get in here. Winds on the coast can close doors all the time," he told him with a wink. Then reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of jewelry that hung from a long silver chain._

_"This is her locket." The baby's blanket was shifted, the object put within. "I couldn't take her ring... it would be noticed... I'm sorry." He studied him then reached out and caressed the baby's head. Sean watched as his daughter's eyes closed and she seemed to fall asleep. "I need to tell you a few things then we're never going to meet again." He held out a white pill. "You have to take this pill. Normally it's supposed to make you forget everything's that's happened. But it won't. But it will put you to sleep..."_

_"No!" Helpless. He wouldn't be able to protect his daughter-_

_"Listen to me or this won't work!" Jack whispered harshly as his hands gripped Sean's shoulders. At the same moment the door broke open and both the guard and Emily came out, their stern eyes on the scene before them. Jack let Sean go and smiled brightly. "Strange door. Don't know what happened." His attention turned back to Sean, his eyes pled for cooperation. "I told Mr. Roberts about the pill he needs to take to keep him from being affect by the same disease his wife died of." He again held out the pill. "I told him it won't hurt him but it's going to put him to sleep and I'll take him home."_

_"And return right away, Captain. You and I have things to discuss."_

_Jack frowned then shook his head as if clearing thoughts away. "Here." He took the child from Sean's arms and put the pill in his shaking hand. "It's okay," he whispered. "Trust me."_

_"Now, Captain." Emily's tone was one of lost patience._

_"Now Sean."_

_Sean realized he would have no more answers. He kept his eyes on his child as he took the pill. Almost immediately his body began to sway, his senses dim. What in heaven's name was it?_

_"Just let it work." Jack's arm was around his waist, guided him to the cold, hard ground. "Just go to sleep and remember what I told you." Jack's voice was so low, barely heard... almost in his head. "Your daughter is a miracle. Make sure she's happy."_

_Vision blurring, Sean managed to meet Jack's gaze one last time. "Thank you."_

_Jack visibly swallowed. "Thank me by living your life and keeping this a secret."_

_Sean sighed as consciousness left him. In the very last moment he thought he could feel a kiss on his forehead._

 

More to come...


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So again this is from 2008... I think I got about 1/3 story done before I couldn't. So it builds. Thanks for Kudos. Hope some remember...

The machines beeped a steady beat. The child's chest rose and fell in steady rhythm. He watched. He listened. The boy's name was Cory Williams... four years old... orphaned as of yesterday...

The hospital personnel had been reluctant to break the news. But Cory seemed to know right away. His parents... his sister... dead. He told the head nurse that they said goodbye to him, that his mother told him to be a good boy.

Ianto Jones lifted his head as the door opened and a young man peeked his head in. Night nurse. Checking. He smiled his smile at the attractive man. "He woke up a few hours ago and asked for water. I gave him some and he went back to sleep."

The nurse hesitated then came in, pulling a piece of compact equipment on wheels in behind him. "My name is Terrence. I'm just here to do vitals."

Vitals. Ianto looked him over, pleased he made the other man nervous. "That's fine."

Terrence came in and did his duty, gently placing a pediatric cuff on Cory's arm, taking a pulse, temperature and then looked at and noted various readings on the monitors around him. "Thank you," he said as he left quickly.

Ianto smiled then returned to the book he was reading. A moment later his phone vibrated in his pocket... again. But he ignored it. Wrong. And he would hear about it shortly. But he had decided that the moments here were worth the wrath that was to-

His thoughts hesitated and he closed his book as he sensed it. Coming closer. A moment later the door quietly swung open and Captian Jack Harkness strolled in, his coat whispering as the door closed behind him. Jack's expression was dark, his eyes moving from the boy to Ianto. "Phone?" he inquired.

Ianto pulled it out and held it up. "Here."

Jack's gaze grew more intense but not quite angry, just curious. "And not answered... because?"

"They don't want you using them in the patient's rooms," he supplied without feeling a bit guilty. 

Jack continued to have that nearly alien curiosity about him as he came further into the room, shed his great coat then pulled up a chair and sat next to Ianto. His eyes fell on the boy, who slept peacefully. "How's he doing?"

Ianto realized the phone discussion would wait until later. "He's coping better than I thought. He already knew. All those breaths together..." Ianto fought a moment of guilt. If he had been faster... more careful... He couldn't figure out how the Night Traveler had found him like that. Almost appearing out of nowhere. Ianto sighed and gathered himself. Now was not the time. "He said his parents told him they were going."

Jack leaned forward. His fingers touched the boy's forehead. As if in response Cory seemed to relax even more into sleep. Ianto knew his lover from the future could do that, had experienced it. Not quite telepathy but an ability Jack said he seemed to have developed over the decades he had lived. 

Ianto watched silently. Waiting for Jack to speak.

"I'm told by Children's Services that he's still under Torchwood's authority." Jack's tone was not negative... still curious.

"He is." Ianto waited. He didn't think he would speak of it tonight but now he knew he would. "I want to adopt him."

Shock. Ianto almost smiled as he realized he had truly surprised the other man, not easy to do. "Adopt? Ianto, he has family."

There was a sense of unsettled relief that flowed through Ianto. Jack's first reaction was not to reject, merely to point out a barrier. "His mother was an only child whose parents died when she was ten. Her grandmother is in hospice... Alzheimers. His father has a living mother whom he has not seen in fifteen years who lives in Austrailia and a sister who is currently incarcerated for another ten years. Mr. Williams, it seems, was the white sheep of his family."

Jack was silent, his shock faded into several lines of emotion and deep thought. "Why?"

Why. Ianto wondered if Jack would understand. If he would get angry. If he would reject the whole notion and force him to choose. "I want to protect him."

"Protect him from?"

Ianto met Jack's gaze. "They'll come back for him." He understood now. All the stories. All the rumors. They were true. There was so little time. The dreams would begin... then the madness. If Cory could be protected by Jack...

"They're gone, Ianto."

"No." Ianto shook his head. He understood now. "No, they're not Jack. There is always a portal that not even you can control. Didn't you hear it when you put the flask away? The music?"

Jack tensed. His eyes continued to study the child. "We need to talk, Yan. I mean really talk." He stood, held out his hand to him. "Come on."

Ianto shook his head. "I can't. He'll be exposed..."

"He's safe here, Ianto." Jack's tone was firm. He hit the comm in his ear. "Lester," he intoned. Ianto's mouth fell open in surprise. Lester. Jack began to speak in a language he knew did not yet exist. It was a short conversation then Jack cut the connection. "He'll be fine."

Lester. An alien who looked human, who came through the Rift from a century close to Jack's own. He was harmless, kept to himself. So he remained. Jack had, in a sense, rescued him from Torchwood One before anyone could find him. For that Lester was a friend, a friend with protective instincts and hidden weaponry to match. His biology, Ianto suspected, would not be compatible with what the Night Travelers sought and Lester would protect the child. 

"Thank you," Ianto said.

For a moment Jack's face softened completely, his hand cupped Ianto's face and Jack's lips kissed his cheek. "He'll be here in about a half hour then we're going back to the HUB and talk. I have a feeling you've been holding back."

Hearing the tone of betrayal Ianto shook his head quickly. "No, Jack!" He caught his lover's hand in his own. "I-I didn't know... until the end. I'll tell you what I can. But I didn't put it all together until this morning!"

Jack's expression relaxed, tension faded. "Okay. We'll wait till Lester comes then go."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So... hopefully the beginning of the meat of the story. Still from 2008. I'm rewriting because I think I know the conclusion. Enjoy!

Nearly comfortable silence reigned as Jack drove. Ianto was tired and sore. His shoulder wouldn't stop aching. His eyes closed against the moment when he'd felt the Ghostmaker's touch, when the touch brought the knowledge his family had tried to keep from him.

_They touched you._

He had stared at Christina Jones, an elderly woman near ninety years of age, a resident of Providence Park just over eighty years. She had been a child when brought here, when her parents and family died. She had been terrified of contact with anyone then terrified of leaving, believing she was safe there. So there she remained and was cared for by a staff that grew up, grew old and left her over the decades. She had seen the Night Travelers, nearly touched them... had come close enough to bring out a kind of psychic ability.

_They touched you as they passed you by._

Ianto let out a great sigh then another as Jack glanced his way. What was he going to say? How could he explain? Some of it Jack would understand immediately. But the rest-

"Ianto."

His head jerked up. They were stopped in the underground garage under the Millennium Center, a hidden place next to the HUB. They were... home. "Sorry," he muttered for his lapse of attention then opened the door and got out.

Again the silence as Jack opened the cog door, as they passed into the main area. Lights were dimmed into the HUB's night cycle. But as Ianto moved forward, prepared to go to the conference room for their 'talk', a strong hand landed on his shoulder... the one the Ghostmaker had touched. Unable to hold back, Ianto hissed in pain.

"What-" Jack pulled his hand away and stared at him. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

Ianto stole himself. He didn't want the attention. "He touched me there."

"Autopsy." Jack carefully gripped Ianto's arm, pulling gently. "Let me look."

Ianto cursed as he allowed himself to be guided to the other side of the HUB. Gently and silently Jack removed Ianto's jack, vest then his shirt.

"Damn! What the hell-" Ianto braced himself as he felt faint pressure on his shoulder but the touch quickly withdrew. "It's like a chemical burn... looks like a hand."

"Yes, I know." Ianto had seen it... just once... in the mirror. It had the image of a hand, blurred outlines. Almost like an odd painting. It constantly pulsed but far less than it did yesterday. He wondered if it would heal...

"He man-handled Gwen but she just had some light bruising." Pause. "I wish you had said something."

Ianto lifted his good shoulder in a shrug. "Wasn't important."

A great sigh escaped Jack, his warm breath brushed across Ianto's face. "Ianto..." Jack's face came into view, his expression gentle. His hand cupped Ianto's face. "Gotta work on that self-esteem."

Ianto had nothing to say. Since Torchwood One... since his fiasco with Lisa... he had trouble thinking of himself much. Though there were times, lately, when Jack and he were alone. Jack could be so focused...

"I'm going to put some ointment on that... hopefully dull the pain." Jack went through Owen's drawers then drew out a small tube. It was an ointment for burns with an added ingredient to sooth. "How does it feel compared to yesterday?"

Ianto held still as gentle fingers brushed over his shoulder. To his relief some of the pain began to fade. "It's better than yesterday. I'm hoping it wouldn't be permanent."

Jack's eyes focused on his work. "Looks like it's trying to mend. I'll have Owen keep an eye out." Jack finished and put the tube away then quickly wiped his hands and returned. He smiled at Ianto. "Better?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes," Ianto said honestly. "Much better. Thank you." He started to turn towards the steps leading to the conference room. Time to talk. But a hand fell on his good shoulder, turning him.

"I care," Jack said then kissed Ianto, lingering a moment then pulled back and took Ianto's hand. "You need to eat." Jack's grip tightened slightly as Ianto began to shake his head. He wasn't hungry. Hadn't been hungry. "Knowing you I suspect you haven't eaten in a little over a day?" Ianto refused to answer but knew Jack knew. "So I know there's a sticky bun in the refrigerator and Juice." Ianto was led to an old stuffed couch. "Sit."

Ianto obeyed, finally realizing that Jack was going to make him eat. He bowed his head as thoughts and memories flowed back into his conscious thoughts. Guilt and fear. He hadn't known... not fully... not until the touch. If he had known he would have been faster. He would have held the flask tighter...

"Yan." Jack's voice filtered through. Hands surrounded Ianto's face, blue eyes met his, glittering that strange light he was used to seeing during times of high emotion. "You did what you could." He smiled a bit. "You're a pretty fast runner. Didn't know you could move that fast. Nice catch too."

"No good enough." Guilt overwhelmed. A child had no family. A mother had no daughter. A family had no mother or grandmother. Dead. He should have-

"Good enough to save a child who otherwise would be dead." Jack's touch was working its way into Ianto's body with its unique warmth. "Don't ever doubt that. You caught that flask, kept Cory's breath from leaving..." Pause. "How did you know?"

Know? Ianto cocked his head in confusion.

Jack's gaze grew intent. "How did you know there was only one breath in the flask?"

Oh. Ianto glanced away. In the excitement of the moment, when he thought he had completely failed, his heart sought out a moment of redemption. "I could hear it."

Truth. Jack's eyebrows rose but his expression showed no surprise. "You have a connection with them."

No accusation. Conclusion. "I don't know." Ianto shivered as Christina's voice haunted him again...

_They touched you._

 

"Ianto!"

Ianto gasped and swayed. Jack had a firm hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I'm tired."

"I know you are." Jack leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "Stay here. I'm going to get you something to eat then we'll talk."

Ianto watched Jack to off to the small kitchenette. As Jack's form disappeared into the shadows he sat back and tried to relax. When he sat with Cory he had buried his thoughts and emotions of the past two days. He had to focus to protect the child... wait for Jack to ask if they could adopt. He knew how the child would be feeling... a little...

A sound caught his attention... a sensation made Ianto glance around. The various monitors in the HUB had been dim, in normal standby mode. Unable to be accessed until passwords and codes were entered. Now all the screens were bright, showing the seal of Torchwood. There was a coldness but then the HUB was always cold. There was a sound in his ears... his head... faint, nearly silent. Music... old music... strains of calliope notes that grew louder... reminding him of a circus...

_"You think you're going to turn from your own and betray us?"_

Suddenly he was there. Standing above him. The Ghostmaker... Ianto cried out an tried to move, to get away. But the Emcee's hand touched his chest. Ianto cried out again as he fell back, as the skin on his stomach burned.

"I couldn't save the others but you might make it," the Ghostmaker proclaimed as his hand hovered over Ianto. "So handsome too... don't you think, Pearl?"

There was the smell of water... salted water that reached Ianto's nose as a figure moved out from the corner of his eye to stand next the Ghostmaker. Her expression at once innocent and cocky as her eyes studied him. "Prettier than the others before him. Let's take him now," she insisted.

Take. Ianto remembered his mother, screaming. _"They found me! They're going to take me!"_. She was considered mad... even Ianto thought so when she was put away. In a rush he suddenly understood... more connections made. It was real. His mother wasn't insane... it was all real... Ianto tried to dig his body into the cushions of the couch as the Ghostmaker lifted his hand towards Ianto's face. "Jack!" Jack had to be here, had to help him!

"Strange," the Ghostmaker's eyes moved in Pearl's direction. "He lives among people who cannot breath or who cannot breathe their last breath."

Owen... Jack... Ianto trembled. Jack. He thought he heard something, could sense Jack... closer...

The Ghostmaker glared at Ianto, actual anger showing on the normally calm face. "Yes, I think we are in need of someone to keep us organized," he said with his normal dead calm. "A behind the scenes man." His eyes traveled up and down Ianto's body. "Yes, just the one we need." He reached out. 

Ianto closed his eyes. "Jack!"

More to come...


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moving forward... it's rewritten from the original... hope it's enjoyed. Comments and such welcomed!

The sticky bun warmed in the microwave. The orange juice was poured. Jack got out a plate and fork. Ianto didn't think he was hungry but Jack knew better. Ianto could go without days eating then collapse when his body just couldn’t do more. But also… Ianto was haunted. Something tugged at Jack… a memory. Ianto’s eyes had drew him from the beginning, making him wonder.

Night Travelers. There had been stories. Emily had had him investigate traveling shows to see if there was any truth to the rumors. Thus Jack became the “Man Who Could Not Die”. Jack snickered to himself. Had to be careful there. He could die, and come back. But in the show he had his tricks too. He made sure he did not really die. Forty years on ancient Earth had taught him death made him vulnerable.

But it was kind of fun too. The people he traveled with, except the two guys who couldn't stop arguing, were wonderful and funny and freer with their lives and sexuality. It had been heaven. The Night Travelers were a dark rumor that not one spoke of as if it would bring a curse though on the surface many would say it was just a fantasy.

But one early evening it suddenly rained. Not too hard… kind of an odd misty rain. Jack was surprised. His manipulator had never been wrong about the weather on this world. But almost as it came it ended. Pre-occupied Jack dismissed it.  
As the last drops fell there was suddenly and odd music in the air... circus music of a kind. Susan, the Bearded Lady… beautiful woman… said someone had seen a traveling camp just over the hill about a half mile away. She asked him to join her…everyone wanted to check it out. He gave her a passionate kiss and declined. Unknown to them, he was leaving. He had to return to Torchwood… to Emily to report. He was a few months beyond the year he had been told to take and he was worried she would have him hunted. And in hunting they would hurt those he had come to like and even love.

So everyone else was gone. Jack thought it was good timing as he began to pack. Good break. He wouldn’t have to say good-bye and he would leave some money…something to help them find a better life. 

An hour later it was done. It was then Jack noticed the ethereal music had stopped. No problem he first thought. They were all probably getting to know each other. But as he turned to leave the tent he was faced with a thin man dressed in an Emcee costume…

 

Jack was pulled out of deep memories by a signal telling him the microwave was done. As he reached for the door his Comm went off. It was Lester.

"Everything okay?" he asked in greeting. The boy was probably up and might be upset. He seemed to take the death of his parents and sister as well as a four year old seemed to be able to, perhaps better. But Jack wasn't sure how much experience Lester had with children, particularly traumatized ones. He thought of him because he knew the half-Mazatin would protect the child and had a good heart.

"Cory was fine," the alien told him in a deep voice. "We were playing... Go Fish? He's a bright child." Pause. "I'm holding him now. He suddenly looked up at thin air and started to cry. Said the bad man was back. I don't see anything, Jack, but I'm holding him. He seems to feel he's safe when I do. Tells me the bad man and scary lady are afraid of me." Dark amusement entered his tone. "I'm too weird for them."

Something cold threaded down his spine. Suddenly he felt the urge to get back to Ianto. Now. “He’s okay?” he asked as he started towards the center of the HUB where he had left Ianto… 

"As long as I'm holding him." Lester's voice grew distant a moment, deep voice giving reassuring murmurs. "He said the bad man and scary lady are gone."

Now. Now. Now. The perception of wrongness increased. "Okay." Then he heard… felt it. Music penetrated his ear… mind… “Lester... you're his uncle. As soon as I can I'll put credentials in the hospital's system. Don't let anyone but us or hospital staff near him. Something's going-"

"Jack!"

Bursts of absolute terror and pain burned through Jack. “Les, protect him!”

"You are my blood... he is my blood now," Lester said solemnly then broke the connection.

Mazatin Warrior Pledge. Nothing would touch the child. 

"Jack!" The second cry was more strangled. Myfanwy nearly clipped him as Jack sprinted into the main area of the HUB. She was angry and protective as she always was where Ianto was concerned. The object of her protection was huddled on the couch, his body language and expression on of true terror. The whisper of carnie music grew louder. Memory teased. The scent of seawater surrounded him. Night Travelers. Idly he noticed the monitors on the work stations were bright, no longer in standby mode.

Then he saw him. The man he had seen in the films when he destroyed them… the man he had seen almost a hundred years before…

_Would you like a ticket to the traveling show?_

Jack froze in place. The Ghostmaker was here… next to him was the woman… Pearl… the water woman. They were bent over Ianto, ready to touch. His fingers itched to draw his gun but he knew it would do no good. He tried to use the only weapon left to him.

"Get away from him!" he warned in his most authoritative voice.

The Night Travelers paused. The Ghostmaker straightened and turned to face Jack. "The Man Who Could Not Die. Seems not just a show title." Jack felt a tendril of forgotten memory whisper as the Traveler looked him up and down. "You lack a last breath... You're of no use to me," he declared. "But this man is one of us and I claim him."

 _Claim him? One of them?_ Again a connection. Jack looked in Ianto’s eyes… something about those eyes… Jack thought fast. "So... he's a Night Traveler?" Jack kept still, knew the Ghostmaker or the girl... Pearl... were too close to Ianto, could do what they wanted to do before Jack would twitch. He had to distract. Had to get Ianto out of reach.

"He is what was made by those before him," the Ghostmaker said enigmatically. "You were there."

 _I was-_ Jack felt understanding elude him. But a glance at Ianto told him the young man had some knowledge. _Yan, stay calm,_ he tried to project to him. Ianto seemed to receive it because his chest expanded briefly... air in... air out though the remained.

“How is he one of you?” He remembered a little girl, bright as the sun. Destined to be among one of her own… “Faeries—“

"We are not those creatures," the Ghostmaker said with clear distain. "We are elemental but we're not as ancient. We are more ensnared with Humans... their perception of us is our existence."

"We claim our own," Pearl said as she glided closer to Ianto. “Come along.” She reached out to Ianto as the young man cried out and renewed his efforts to get away.

“You’re not strong enough, Pearl,” the Ghostmaker chided, not unkindly. Pearl sighed, her expression turning petulant. “You are not Human,” the Traveler told Jack with a hint of curiousity.

"I am," Jack countered then shrugged. "Okay, about ninety percent."

"You are not tied to this world... or any world."

No. Truth. Jack racked his brain to find a solution to this. The Ghostmaker was going to quickly lose interest and get to Ianto before…

"He belongs everywhere!" Ianto declared suddenly, his voice trembling.

The Ghostmaker hissed. He turned his head to Ianto. "He is alien!"

"Yes," Ianto agreed without hesitation. 

"Hello!" Jack called. The Traveler’s attention was back on Ianto. Jack needed to get it back. "Alien standing right here!"

"You mean nothing!" The Ghostmaker dismissed. He reached out his hand to Ianto’s face. In the same moment Myfanwy swept low, screeching. Her claw brushed Ianto's cheek. Her tail batted the Ghostmaker and Pearl to the floor.

It was enough. Jack threw himself past the Ghostmaker. He grabbed and lifted Ianto with his more than Human strength. Placed his lover behind him. At the same moment the Ghostmaker got to his feet and reached out again but touched Jack instead. In the next instant the Night Travelers screamed and like the day before they both disintegrated and vanished. The workstations within the HUB flickered then returned to their standby mode.


End file.
